Diesel engines utilized in automobiles and the like include a plurality of cylinders for operation. When one or more of the cylinders are not operating properly, the engine will act abnormally, such as engine roughness, loss of power, lower engine speed, etc. Typically, when these problems occur in a diesel engine, the engine must be tested. These diesel engines are typically controlled by an on-board computer system. Accordingly, known test equipment for diesel engines is personal computer based and available to franchised dealers. Typically, the diagnostic test equipment is sophisticated electronic equipment that interfaces with the electronics of the modem automobile, truck, or the like. Accordingly, this test equipment is very expensive and costly to maintain. Oftentimes the problems associated with poor cylinder operation are intermittent in nature and can only be determined when the vehicle utilizing the diesel engine is in normal operation. That is, for example, during driving of a diesel powered automobile, the engine loses power, but when the automobile is brought to the service station and tested the engine does not lose power. However, known test equipment is typically resident only in a franchised service station.
Accordingly, it would be useful to provide a system which can be utilized during the normal operation of a diesel powered vehicle such as an automobile or the like. The system should be easy to implement, cost effective and adaptable to existing diesel powered vehicles. The system should be useful particularly for automotive vehicles which include on-board computer based control systems. The present invention addresses such a need.